Fence



v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. B. THIES; FENGE MAKING MACHINE.

(No Model.)

Patented Mar. 9, 188 6.

N. PETERS FhuloLrthognpher, Washinglrm, u. c

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

J. B. THIES. FENCE MAKING MACHINE. v No.- 337,638 Patented Mar. 9, 1886.

a OZ TJVESSES I IJVVEWTOR I UNrran STATES PATENT @rrrcs.

JOHN B. THIES, OF DAYTON,-OHIO.

FENCE=MAKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 337,638, dated March 9,1826. Appliaation filed December 15, 1885. Serial No. 185,767. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. THIEs, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Making Machines;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specificatiOnand in which-- Figure l is a perspective view of my improvedfence-making machine with a part broken away. Fig. 2 same. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal sectional view of the machine. Fig. 4 is a perspective detailview of the picket clamping and forcing mechanism; and Fig. 5 is asimilar view of the upper end of the reel and its support, showing thatend of the frame tilted upward.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

Myinvention has relation to machines for making wire and picket fencesof that classin which the picket is dropped between the ends ofbifurcated twisters, which, by being revolved, twist the Wires, formingloops clamping the picket; and it consistsin theimproved constructionand combination of parts of the same, as hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed;

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates a rectangularupright frame, which has two upright posts, B B, at its middle, whichposts are formed with longitudinal horizontal bearings in which thetwisters O are journaled, the twisters having sprocket-wheels D upon theportions between the posts, over which sprocket-wheels passes an endlesschain, E, which also passes over a sprocket-wheel, O, journaled betweenlaterally-projecting arms FF upon the posts, the shaft of whichsprocketwheel is provided with a crank or handle, H, for revolving it,'so that all the twisters may be revolved by revolving the crank orhandle, the chain passing over the sprocket-wheels upon the twisters ina zigzag line.

The twisters and the means for operating them need no furtherdescription, as the means is a top View of the for operating thetwisters have been described in Patent No. 316,849, granted to me on the28th day of April, 1885, and the twisters, as shown in the drawings,have been described in a former application now pending before theOffice. Two upright bars, I and J, have their upper and lower endssecured to the ends of flanges K upon two transverse castings, L L,which are formed with longitudinal slots M M, with which they slide uponbolts N, projecting from the top and bottom piece of the frame, the saidbolts screwing into the said top and bottom pieces. The bar I of theupright bars is placed at one side of the bifurcated ends of thetwisters, a short distance in front of them, and has its inner edgebeveled at the side facing the twisters, as shown at O, and this bevelededge is faced with a metallic bar, P, which preferably projects with oneedge beyond the face of the bar facing toward the twisters, and asimilarly loose beveled bar, Q, having a similar facingbar, R, bearswith its ends freely against the facing sides of the castings upon thetop and bottom piece of the frame, resting against the flanges of thecastings with its ends. These beveled bars have the beveled andmetallicfaced portions facing the bifurcated ends of the twisters, so asto have the pickets forced between them, and the loose bar is providedwith laterally-projecting arms or rods S, around which are placed coiledsprings T, and the outer ends of the rods sllde in perforations Uin thebar J, the ends of the springs bearing against the beveled bar andagainst the rigid bar J, forcing the loose beveled bar toward the rigidbeveled bar. The beveled edges of the two beveled bars are formed withnotches V, in which the bifurcated or slotted ends W oftwo or more arms,X, may slide, and the other ends of these arms are pivoted to armsY,projecting from a vertical shaft, Z, journaled at its ends in the topand bottom piece of the frame to the rear of and slightly to one side ofthe rear ends of'the twisters. This shaft is provided with a leverorhandle, A, by means of which it may be rocked, and itwill be seen thatby rocking the shaft the slotted ends of the arms or bars may be forcedforward and back in the notches in the beveled bars, forcing one picketforwardthrough the space between the beveled bars and coming back toreceive another picket, which is dropped into the slots in the ends ofthe forcing arms from above. The-upper end ofthe rocking verticalshaftis provided with a crank, B, to the pin of which an ear, projectingfrom the connected ends of two parallel rods, D D, is pivoted, and theother ends of these pai'alel rods are connected by a perforated yoke, E,through which slides the end of a rod, F, having a cross-head, G, at itsend, the notched ends of which crosshead slide upon the parallel rods. Aspring, H, is wrapped around the rod and bears against the yoke and thecross-head, forcing them apart, the pitman formed by the parallel rodsand the rod, together with the yoke, cross-head, and spring, being thusmade yielding longitudinally. The other end of the rod or pit man ispivoted to a crank, I, upon the upper end of a short shaft, J, which isjournaled in a vertical bearing in the outer end of a hinged bracket, K,upon the end of the top piece of the frame, and the upper portion ofthis short shaft is provided with a ratchet'wheel, L, secured upon theshaft below the crank, which turns loosely upon the shaft with its innerend. The outer end .of the crank is provided with a spring-pawl, M,which engages the ratchet-wheel, and a spring-pawl, N, is pivoted uponthe upper side of the bracket and engages the ratchet-wheel. The lowerend of the short shaft is formed with a polygonal box, 0", into whichthe upper end of the reel-shaft P fits and in which it may be retainedby means of apin, Q, inserted through the wall ofthe box or socket intothe end of the shaft, and the lower end of this shaft, upon which thefence is wound as it is woven or manufactured by the machine, isjournaled in the projecting end of the bottom piece of the frame. Itwill be seen that the reel will be revolved when the lever which forcesthe feed-arms or forcingarms forward is tilted back, drawing the saidarms in position for receiving another picket. The extensible pitmanwhich operates the pawl being pivoted at its other end to the crank uponthe rocking shaft, and the pitman being extensible and yieldinglongitudinally, the pawl upon the crank connected to the pitman willonly move the reel sufficiently to take up as much fence as has beenmade without regard to the size of the roll wound upon the reel, so thatthe reel will not wind faster, and thus draw too heavy upon the fencewhen the roll is larger than when the roll has been started.

The forcing-arms have a series of perforatlons, R, at their'inner ends,so that they may be adjusted to the width of the pickets to be used, theperforations fitting upon pins S at the ends of the rocking arms, and itwill be seen that when the rocking arms are tilted forward by means ofthe lever the slotted ends of the forcing-arms, in the slots of whichthe picket has been dropped from above into the loops of wire heldspread by the twisters, will Iorce the picket into the forward end ofthe slot and between the beveled bars, which will drag upon the sides ofthe picket, forcing the wires close against the sides of the picket.\Vhen the slotted forcing-arms have forced the picket between thebeveled bars, the said bars will close upon the wires at the rear endsof the loops to be formed by the twisters and hold the wires closetogether, causing the twisters to make a closer twist upon the wires atthe edge of the picket, and thus doing away with one of the greatestdrawbacks in the manufacture of woven-wire and picket fencesviz.,looseness of the loops, which will allow the picket as it becomesseasoned and driedto drop out of the loops.

The beveled bars may be adjusted at any distance from the ends of thetwisters by slid" ing the transverse castings with their slots up on theset-screws or bolts. thus regulating the length of the twisted portionand of the loop, which depends upon the width of the picket.

It will be seen that by having one of the beveled bars yielding the saidbar may give to any thickness of picket and will draw the wire loopsclosely upon the sides of the picket, regardless of the thickness of thepicket, the yielding beveled bar allowing a picket of a much greaterthickness to pass immediately after or before a much thinner picketwithout interfering in the slightest with the tension'of the wire loopas the wire passes from the spools or reels, or with the secure hold ofthe loops upon the pickets.

When one reel is full, the pitman may be disengaged from the crank atthe top of the reelshaft, and the hinged b acket supporting the shortsocketed shalt and the ratchct-wheel may be tilted back, allowing thereel shaft to be lifted out with its roll of fencing and to be withdrawnfrom the roll, when itmay be placed back again and another roll started.

Although I have shown and prefer to use the twisters which form thesubject-matter of a former application, any other suitable form oftwisters may be used with the forcing and clamping device, as well aswith the reel-operating mechanism.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States- 1. In a fence-making machine, thecombination, with a gang of wire-twisters, of a pair ofbeveled bars, oneof which is yielding, facing the ends of the twisters with their beveledsides, and means for forcing the pickets between the said yielding bars,as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

2. In a fence-making machine, the combination, with a gang ofwiretwisters, of two bars, one of which is yielding, both havingtheirinner edges beveled. and having the beveled sides facing thedelivery ends of the twisters, and reciprocating arms having slottedends sliding in notches in the facing edges of the beveled bars, as andfor the purpose shown and set forth.

' 3. In a fence-making machine, the continua tion, with a gang ofwire-twisters, of a rigid bar having its inner edge beveled and facedwith a metallic strip, a bar having its edge facing thebeveled edgeofthe rigid bar beveled and faced with a metallic strip, and having atthe opposite edge laterallyprojecting rods pro vided with coiled springsand sliding in bearings, arms having their longitudinally-slotted endssliding in notches in the beveled edges of the bars, and means forsimultaneously reciprocating the said arms, as and for the purpose shownand set forth.

4. In afence-making machine, the combina tion of a rectangular uprightframe having a vertical gang of wire-twisters, two transverse castingshaving flanges and longitudinal slots and adjustably secured byset-screws on the facing sides of the top and bottom piece of the frame,a bar secured to one end of the flanges of the castings and havingitsinner edge beveled and faced with metal, abar secured at its ends inthe other ends of the castings and having transverse perforations orbearings, a bar having its ends sliding against the castings and againsttheir flanges, and having the edge facing the beveled edge of the rigidbar beveled and faced with metal, and provided with laterally-projectingrods sliding in the bearings in the perforated rigid bar, and havingsprings coiled around them bearing against the bars, and means forforcing the pickets between the beveled edges of the bars, the saidedges facing the delivery ends of the twisters, as and for the purposeshown and set forth.

5. In a fence-makingmachine, the combination ofa gang ofwire-twisters,'a vertical rockshaft journ'aled to the rear of thet-wisters and having arms projecting from it, a pair ofyielding barshaving their beveled facing edges formed with notches and placedregistering with the delivery ends of the twisters, and picket-forcingarms pivoted at their rear ends to the arms upon the rock-shaft, andhaving their forward ends slotted longitudinally and slidingin thenotches in the beveled bars, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

6. In a fence-making machine, the combination of a vertical rock-shaftoperating the forcing-arms, and having a crank at its upper end, areel'shaft having a ratchet-wheel upon its upper end and a pawl engagingthe said wheel, a crank pivoted upon the upper end of the reel-shaft,and having a spring-pawl engaging the wheel at its outer'end, and apitman composed of two parts having an interposed spring and pivoted tothe two cranks, as and for the-purpose shown and set forth.

7. In a fence-making machine, the combination of the vertical rock-shaftoperating the forcing-arms, and having the crank at its upper end, thereel-operating crank having a spring-pawl at its end, the ratchet-wheelupon the reel engaged by the pawl, the parallel rods having the earpivoted to the rock-shaft crank, and having its ends connected by theperforated yoke, the rod pivoted to the loose crank and sliding in theyoke having a cross-head upon its end sliding with its notched ends uponthe parallel rods, and thespring coiled around the rod and bearingagainst the yoke and against the cross-head, as and for the purposeshown and set forth.

8. In a fence-making machine, the combination of the reel-shaft, thebracket hinged to swing upward upon the end of the top piece of theframe. the short shaftjournaled in the outer end of the bracket andformed with the socket at its lower end receiving the upper end of thereel-shaft, the ratchet-wheel upon the short shaft, and the rocking armor crank upon the end of the short shaft having the spring-pawl engagingthe ratchet-wheel, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaffixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN B. THIES.

Witnesses:

WM. Sizer-Inn, LOUIS BAGGER.

